Creek Week planning committee meetings are the first Thursday morning from 7:30 until 8:30 October through March. All Planning meetings will be held at 2020 L Street, Suite 400 in the AECOM conference room.

Volunteers Wanted! If you would like to volunteer for SACC, please post on our blog! Also, if you would like to post a volunteer opportunity related to creeks, environment, green jobs, etc., please post the information on our Creek Peeks Blog under the “Volunteerships” category! We look forward to hearing from you.

Welcome to Sacramento Area Creeks Council Website & Blog! The Sacramento Area Creeks Council preserves, protects, restores and maintains the natural streams in our communities through education, advocacy, financial support and technical expertise.

Behind the brick buildings and amidst the uproar of afternoon traffic, the Arcade Creek continues to serve a unique purpose. For nearly a decade now, the Arcade Creek has been the center of a year-round science project for the International Baccalaureate students at Mira Loma High School. The Arcade Creek Project is comprised of eleven distinct studies, which work collaboratively to assess the overall health of the riparian ecosystem and spread the message of environmental preservation. Over 250 students are part of the Arcade Creek Project this year.

Unlike typical school projects, the Arcade Creek Project provides students with an opportunity to study science curriculum through a tactile, hands-on approach. On any given day, countless students can be spotted venturing out towards the urban creek. Students alone are responsible for the extraction of samples, collection of data through observation, and restoration of the creek. All samples and observations are further analyzed during habitual meetings in the Creek Room of our high school.

“I enjoy studying the Arcade Creek because it allows me to take what I learn in the classroom and compare it to what I see in nature. Things like keystone species, invasive species, and seed dispersal mechanisms are a lot easier to comprehend when you see them with your own eyes.” –Marisa Galvez, Senior Restoration Manager

To ensure efficiency and success each year, the Arcade Creek Project has developed a structure encompassing eleven fields of study: Chemistry, Sediments, Biological Assessment, Bio Assay, Outreach, Long Mapping, Habitat, Vertebrates, Restoration, Technology, and Botany. Each group of students specializes in their exclusive study for a period of two scholastic years.

Although the structure remains constant throughout the years, the Arcade Creek Project improves each year. The Biological Assessment study collects and analyzes the aquatic macroinvertebrates found in the Arcade Creek in order to assess its overall health. This year, the Biological Assessment study took samples of the water both before and after the season’s first rain. In their analysis, they hope to determine whether the influx in water and the change in seasonal temperatures will alter the mortality rates of the macroinvertebrates. The Chemistry study is also implementing new techniques in their data collection process. In years past, the study has monitored the levels of Chlorine, Phosphates, Nitrates, and Dissolved Oxygen in the water. At present, the study is incorporating the use of probes to streamline their collection process. The use of these technological advances aims to move the study forward and facilitate the collection of accurate data. Visiting the Arcade Creek each Saturday, the Restoration study has amassed an extensive list of accomplishments this semester. They have removed large portions of Red Sesbania and Himalayan Blackberry, 20 bags of trash, 30 bags of recyclables, and even a rusted trampoline.

With first semester drawing to a close, students at Mira Loma High School are gearing up for the second half of this ongoing endeavor. The Arcade Creek Project has and will continue to be an integral part of our school community. To learn more about our efforts, please visit arcadecreekproject.org.

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April 28th dawned clear, and an estimated 1,400 volunteers
turned out to clean a creek on Clean-Up Day.

Moderate flows in our region's watershed this spring made
the creeks more accessible than last year. Because there
were no extreme high water events in the rainy season, less
debris than usual was washed up on the banks. Even so,
about 18 tons of garbage were removed from creeks in Sacramento,
Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova and unincorporated
Sacramento County. Specially trained volunteers also removed
invasive red sesbania plants from 1,000 feet along both sides
of Steelhead Creek near Dry Creek. Thousands of seedlings
were uprooted and an estimated 3 million seeds were disposed.

In addition to the usual tires, shopping carts, and general
garbage, there were items fished out of creeks that mystified
the finders: a bed frame, water heater, bowling ball, fire
extinguisher, fax machine, waffle iron, motorcycle frame,
cage trap, washing machine and public telephones. Our volunteers
suspect that garbage gets in the creeks in a variety of ways.
The big items are illegally dumped; some are stolen property.
Homeless encampments account for much of the garbage. Many
smaller items have been tossed out of car windows or blown out
of trucks and find their way to the creek by way of gutters and
storm drains. Every item has its own untold story.

Many wildlife sightings were reported by creek cleanup volunteers.
Introduced or nuisance species such as opossum, turkeys, peacocks,
pheasants, and mosquitoes were spotted. Creek cleaners saw robins,
raccoons, grey squirrels, garter snakes, jack rabbits, western
fence lizards, and mallards - all native residents. Volunteers
were careful to avoid poison oak, a native plant found in abundance
along many of Sacramento's creeks. Poison oak is one of many native
plants that provide food and cover for urban wildlife. Since ninety
percent of urban wildlife depends on creeks, it is not surprising
that eggs and young were reported by volunteers.

The afternoon Celebration at the Discovery Museum Science Center
gave volunteers the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments.
Great live music, fun activities, barbeque, free museum admission
and earth-friendly exhibits were enjoyed by all. Many were
impressed and inspired by the imaginative Junk & Gunk sculptures
on display.

Thank you to all who helped with the cleanup. You helped us in
our mission to preserve and protect an important urban natural
resource - creeks!

Valley View Acres is a rural neighborhood in North Natomas bordered on two sides by Steelhead Creek and the Ueda Parkway. The east levee of the creek is a front or back fence for many residents. The parkway and creek are used year round for bike riding, horseback riding, dog walking, hiking, jogging, bird watching, fishing and general nature enjoyment. There are others who use the area for car dumping, trash dumping, unwanted pet dumping, drinking and other less desirable activities. The neighbors police the creek on a regular basis and keep an eye out for dumpers.

On April 28th, residents of Valley View Acres were joined by a bus load of Center High School students and other Creek Week volunteers to clean Steelhead Creek. The students working with the Weed Warriors concentrated on the eradication of red sesbania, a pretty but incredibly invasive plant/weed. The other folks spent time pulling trash out of the creek to make it safer for wildlife, horseback riding, fishing, and other recreational use.

Four sites along the creek were manned by volunteers from the neighborhood. Trash was placed in bags and hauled to the top of the levee where city, county or special district employees loaded it into trucks to be hauled to the landfill. The red sesbania trimmings were pulled to the levee top and put in a dumpster. Some of the larger items, like a camper shell, tires and shopping carts were dragged up the levee and left for the dump trucks. Although regretful that muddy banks prevented the hauling out of an engine, volunteers headed for the Celebration at noon, satisfied with the morning effort.

Libby has been a Creek Week volunteer for many years. We thank her for her hard work and leadership on the Steelhead Creek cleanup.

It’s a great feeling to see all that trash piled up after a Creek Week Cleanup. But what can we do to help creeks every day, around our own homes? The choices we make in our gardens and home landscaping can contribute to the long-term health of our creeks, even if we don’t happen to live very close to one. That’s because rain and sprinkler water runs drains from our yards into storm drains, carrying many things along with it. The storm drains funnel all that water into creeks and rivers without any processing or filtering, and the runoff contains chemicals and invasive plant seeds that come from our yards. If you are reading this newsletter, you probably already know that you shouldn’t pour anything down the storm drains. You may also know about some of the alternatives to pesticides and herbicides that are safer for the environment. You can get great information about those alternatives at UCDavis Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program and also at City of Sacramento’s Storm Water Pest Control Program. Another solution to creek pollution is to replace large lawn areas and fussy hybrid plants with native plants.

Native plant landscaping is great for the health of creeks because:

Native plants are more drought tolerant so less watering is necessary; less watering means less run-off.

They have fewer pest problems so pesticides aren’t necessary.

They don’t spread invasive seeds that wind up sprouting along the creeks and crowding out natives.

They are well-adapted to the area and thrive with little or no additional fertilizing.

You can also find excellent plant choices at nurseries such as Corn Flower Farms or California Gardens. Or visit local native gardens like the one at Sacramento’s Historic City Cemetery and the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. Visit the gardens during different seasons, and watch for native plant sales. The California Native Plant Society is holding a sale on Saturday, September 22nd, 9 a.m – 3 p.m. at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park, Sacramento. Come see some beautiful plants and meet folks who love native plant gardens.

Mosquito fish (Gambusia sp.) are small fish
(1.5 – 2.5 inches) that tolerate a wide range of temperatures
and are used as a predator of mosquito larvae in many diverse aquatic
habitats throughout the world. With all of the attention being given
locally to aerial spraying to control mosquitoes and reduce West Nile
Virus problems, mosquito fish just keep on quietly eating the mosquito
larvae as many people want them to do. Unfortunately, mosquito fish
also eat other living things, which can be a problem in some environments.
In fact, some people think that mosquito fish can be a “major pest and
in many cases more suitable alternatives exist for mosquito larvae control”
(www.gambusia.net).

So what should we use for mosquito control if we
can’t use mosquito fish? Pretty much any fish will eat mosquito
larvae. Try finding a mosquito larva in any body of water inhabited by
fish. The best thing to use is a native fish found in your local area
that is somewhat hardy and will reproduce in the environment that requires
mosquito control. Guppies (Poecilia sp.) are also used locally instead
of mosquito fish, mainly in koi and gold fish ponds, but they lack the
tolerance for temperature extremes. For more information, visit the
Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito Vector Control District

During a recent tour of the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control
District offices and hatchery facilities, I learned that mosquito fish
and guppies are used as biological controls to help reduce the amount
of pesticides needed. Mosquito fish are planted in most permanent or
semi-permanent water sources but are no longer planted in vernal pools
because of their detrimental impacts on fairy shrimp. I also learned
that planting is now done only by technicians who are trained in the
field. In the past, mosquito fish were handed out on request, which
provided less control on their use. I also found that District Manager
David Brown (dabrown at FIGHTtheBITE dot net) and his staff are very helpful
and eager to work with individuals and groups who may have concerns
about any of the District’s operations. Consider taking a tour yourself.
They will be holding an Open House next spring.

Way back at the end of the last century (the 1990s), the Sacramento Stormwater Quality
Partnership (or SSQP, which includes Sacramento County and the cities of Citrus
Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, Rancho Cordova, and Sacramento) found that the
water in local creeks was contaminated with the insecticides diazinon and chlorpyrifos, at
levels toxic to the water flea Ceriodaphnia. Since then, most urban uses of these
chemicals have been phased out, only to be largely replaced in the urban marketplace
with pyrethroids. In our area, pyrethroids are widely used for ant control around
buildings, in most aerosol bug sprays, and even in combination with lawn fertilizers
(even though the target insects rarely cause problems in Sacramento lawns).

Recent studies by Professor Donald Weston of U.C. Berkeley frequently
found pyrethroids at toxic levels in urban creek sediments of the Sacramento region and the
Bay Area. Weston’s studies also indicate that urban areas, not upstream agriculture,
are the source of these chemicals in the creeks. Pyrethroids bind strongly to sediments, so
that the vast majority of them will be found in the stream bottom. This is better for animals
like Ceriodaphnia that swim and don’t interact much directly with the sediment. However,
animals that dwell on or in the stream bottom are at risk, since they are more likely to
contact the pyrethroids. Weston’s study animal, Hyallela azteca, is a sediment-dwelling
amphipod crustacean found naturally in this area, and is an important component of the aquatic
food web.

To help prevent harm to creek life, SSQP actively encourages residents and
professionals to reduce pesticide use wherever possible. In addition, the SSQP is a leader
in the effort to prod State and Federal pesticide regulators to re-evaluate pyrethroids,
and to improve the overall process for pesticide regulation. A key goal is to evaluate
pesticides more effectively so future water quality problems are avoided before pesticides
are allowed on the market. Visit the
Sacramento Storm Water Quality Partnership for resources on avoiding pesticide use.

Our Water Our World and WaterWise are two programs supported by the
Sacramento Stormwater Partnership that provide useful information for managing pests in
Sacramento area landscapes. These programs distribute information through retail outlets
and the internet. Water Wise also provides help through the Sacramento Master
Gardeners who can answer specific questions during business hours at (916) 875-6913.
Our Water Our World provides individual assistance on pest management issues throughAsk the Expert,
which links to the Bio-Integral Resource Center (www.birc.org). The University of
California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program has abundant information on IPM
for landscapes, especially in its Pest Notes, and Turf sections.

by Bill Templin, Board Member,
Sacramento Urban Creeks Council
and Upper American River Foundation

Once again, a good volunteer turnout of over 30 people participated in walking 16
reaches of Dry Creek and it’s tributaries including Secret Ravine, Miner’s Ravine,
Antelope Creek, Linda Creek, and Cirby Creek. The intrepid volunteers were
documenting the number of live salmon, carcasses and redds in the salmon’s spawning
beds in the stream gravels. Volunteers included individuals and groups such as the
Granite Bay Flycasters as well as federal, state, and local governments.

According to Gregg Bates, Watershed Coordinator and Dry Creek Conservancy’s
Conservator, “These are the lowest numbers in the 10 years that we have been doing the
count. Numbers are apparently low all along the coast and may be related to ocean
currents.”

The total number of live fish counted dropped again this year to 21, as compared with
127 in 2005 and 390 in 2004. The first year that I participated in this count (2004) we
counted 68 live fish in the same quarter-mile reach of Dry Creek where we counted 15
last year and only 6 this year! Declines also have been observed in the number of
carcasses and redds counted, with totals dropping from 87 carcasses in 2004 to only 20 in
2006, and redds dropping from 84 in 2004 to 43 in 2006.

More information about the Dry Creek Conservancy, its salmon surveys, and other
activities can be attained by visiting their website and reading their quarterly newsletter
at the Dry Creek Conservancy